Sports: 10/16/10

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Ali memorabilia to raise funds for Parkinson''s charity

Sun, Oct 17 10 11:52 AM

London, Oct 17 (PTI) A collection of Muhammad Ali memorabilia, hand-signed and donated by the celebrated boxer to a Parkinson''s disease charity will be sold here next week. The three-time world heavyweight champion was diagnosed with Parkinson''s disease, a degenerative disorder of the nervous system, in 1984, aged 42. He has donated 22 lots to Parkinson''s UK to aid the research and support provided by the charity. One of the highlights of Bonham''s Sporting Memorabilia sale of October 20 is a boxing glove (estimate 600-800 pounds), on which he has written, "Service to others is the rent that we pay on earth for our room in heaven." The lot also includes a photocopy of a 1964 magazine cover featuring Sean Connery which is signed by Ali and a detailed COA from Tim Shanahan detailing how the glove was signed on January 23 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverley Hills to raise funds for Parkinson''s disease. Other important items include a sketch by Ali (estimate 300-400 pounds); a black and white signed photograph of Ali (estimate 150-200 pounds); a collection of six pictures and associated letters (estimate 400-600 pounds); and a signed reproduction magazine cover of ''Life'' from March 6, 1964 (estimate 200-250 pounds).

Source: Published>

Ageing Ponting's reign as skipper may end by April 2011: Chappell

Published>Sun, Oct 17 10 11:44 AM

Sydney, Oct 17 (ANI): Former Australian captain Ian Chappell believes that Ricky Ponting's reign as skipper may be over by April 2011.

Chappell expects Ponting to be removed as captain or reach the right point to step down following a busy schedule after the tour of India, the Ashes series and the 2011 World Cup.

"The conclusion of that hectic period could well bring down the curtain on his extremely successful captaincy reign," Chappell wrote in this month's edition of Inside Cricket magazine.

"If he fails in all three of the enormous challenges facing Australia, the selectors will probably be looking for a new leader. If he succeeds ... that would be the perfect time to call it a day," he said.

Chappell is optimistic about Ponting doing well for the rest of the program despite the Test series loss against India, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Commenting on Ponting's reig as captain regardless of the results and his form, Chappell said: "If Ponting isn't mentally drained after that lot then either he's a genius, the opposition isn't up to much or Australia has been thoroughly outplayed."

"That's when Ponting's day of reckoning will come. If he's successful, not only would he go out a hero, the timing for the team would be right. There comes a time when an ageing captain looks around the dressing room and discovers most of his mates have moved on.

"They've been replaced by a younger bunch who, whilst you might enjoy tutoring them, are from a different generation that have interests outside the game which are as foreign as a French dictionary," Chappell said.

"Despite a fast-changing world and a cricket environment where the decision to retire is more difficult than when the pay was paltry, ageing is still a valid obstacle for a skipper. Captains have a use-by-date where their effectiveness starts to wane no matter how successful they've been," he added. (ANI)

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More rains in Kochi, match abandoned

Published>Sun, Oct 17 10 11:06 AM

Kochi, Oct 17 (IANS) The first match of the one-day cricket series between India and Australia was abandoned as heavy rains lashed this Kerala city Sunday morning.

Kochi first saw a downpour at 4 a.m., dampening the ground that was immediately covered with blue sheets. This prompted authorities to say that the match would be delayed by a couple of hours. But the rains began again at about 10 a.m., forcing the match to be abandoned.

While the ground was still covered early morning, the stadium galleries were packed with enthusiastic spectators.

After the first showers, senior cricket officials met here to decide the fate of the first match but rain played spoilsport once again.

'We are from Kottayam and we reached here around 4 a.m. and soon we were given entry to the stadium...This is sad,' said Ashok Kumar, one of the spectators who had to turn away disappointed.

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Aussie boxer was sent home over 'dropping pants in front of official' during Delhi CWG

Published>Sun, Oct 17 10 10:36 AM

Sydney, Oct 17 (ANI): An Australian boxer was sent home early from the Commonwealth Games at New Delhi after he allegedly dropped his trousers in front of an official.

A senior boxing official confirmed that 18-year-old Damien Hooper, who competed in the middleweight division but lost in the quarterfinals, was sent back to Australia a week early over the incident, news.com.au reported.

Back in Australia, Hooper said, "I'm happy to talk about boxing, but nothing else. Please don't ask me to comment about anything else."

It is understood that the gold medal favourite contestant would challenge any penalty issued over the incident.

Boxing Queensland's Allen Nicolson said that Hooper had a difficult upbringing and it would be a shame if the incident tarnished a promising career.

"Perhaps he did step out of line in some way ... but it was a little mistake... I know the kid, and it's not the type of thing you would expect him to do, Nicolson said.

"Kids do all that - dropping their daks - but because it's India, it's considered trouble... He could have been going to the loo. At 18, he's not exactly a dirty old man. Damien, don't worry about it. You won't go to prison for it...," he added.

Nicolson noted that Hooper had shown great determination in getting to the Commonwealth Games.

"He had a hell of an upbringing. That kid has shown a lot of grit to be there," he said, adding, "I can honestly say we've had a very bad Commonwealth Games in terms of boxing. "I'm sure all the boxers would have been in a very depressed state after the boxing. Damien was only just beaten."

Australian Commonwealth Games Association chief executive Perry Crosswhite confirmed that an athlete had been sent home for bad behaviour, but would not say if alcohol was a factor, adding that end-of-competition celebrations always resulted in a few unfortunate incidents.

"When everybody's finished, they're letting their hair down. They do all sorts of things," Crosswhite stated.

It was Australia's worst Commonwealth Games boxing performance in 37 years, with the boxers failing to win any medal. (ANI)

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India's good show at CWG inspires young athletes

Published>Sun, Oct 17 10 10:26 AM

Rohtak, October 17 (ANI): Sports fans in Rohtak,taking inspiration from the 2010 CW Games athletes,are turning up in large number to take part in various sports.Talking to media persons,Deepak,a student,said the games were not popular earlier but after India bagged many Gold Medals,people are now showing interest.

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Bad weather delays start in Kochi

Sun, Oct 17 10 09:46 AM

Kochi, Oct 17 (PTI) The start of the first match of the one-day cricket series between India and Australia has been delayed due to heavy rains in the wee hours here today. Kochi has been witnessing heavy downpour since last Thursday which had resulted in practice sessions of both the teams being washed out. The ground is still covered with a blue sheet and the ground staff are at work. According to the experts, the match could be delayed for about two hours provided there was no rain again. The Indian and Australian team members had reached here on Thursday after the second Test in Bangalore, which India won. India had also won the first test at Mohali.

Source: Published>

Rain delays opening of India-Australia cricket series

Published>Sun, Oct 17 10 08:56 AM

Kochi, Oct 17 (IANS) The first match of the one-day cricket series between India and Australia to be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru International stadium here will have a delayed start following a downpour in the wee hours of Sunday.

While the ground is still covered with a blue sheet, the stadium galleries are overflowing with spectators.

'We are from Kottayam and we reached here around 4 a.m. and soon we were given entry to the stadium. We are lucky that we got a good place to watch the action. Now with the ground still under cover it is certain that we won't get the full 100 overs. This is sad,' a spectator Ashok Kumar said.

The pitch was well-prepared for the match but the rain has dampened the the ground as well as the spirit of the spectators.

According to a Kerala Cricket Association official, the match could be delayed for about two hours provided there was no rain again.

However, almost every inch of the space at the stadium has been packed.

This is the only cricket stadium in the state to host international matches and Sunday's match is the seventh in the last 12 years.

Source: Web Search

FIFA to investigate report of World Cup vote-selling

Published>Sun, Oct 17 10 08:37 AM

World soccer's governing body FIFA said on Sunday it would investigate a newspaper report that two members of its executive committee had offered to sell their votes in the contest to host the 2018 World Cup.

Britain's Sunday Times newspaper said the offers had been made to its reporters who were working undercover and posed as lobbyists for a consortium of American private companies.

The report said Nigeria'a Amos Adamu was filmed asking for money for a personal project and that Oceania Football Confederatinon president Reynald Temarii from Tahiti wanted money for a sports academy.

FIFA will decide on Dec. 2 in Zurich which countries will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The choices will be made by the 24-strong executive committee

"FIFA has already requested to receive all of the information and documents related to this matter (the Sunday Times report), and is awaiting to receive this material," FIFA said in a statement.

"In any case, FIFA will immediately analyse the material available and only once this analysis has concluded will FIFA be able to decide on any potential next steps.

"In the meantime, FIFA is not in a position to provide any further comments on this matter."

England and Russia are bidding for the 2018 finals along with joint bids from Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Netherlands.

The candidates for 2022 are the United States, Japan, South Korea, Qatar and Australia.

Source: Web Search

China hosts world martial arts championships

Published>Sun, Oct 17 10 08:16 AM

Beijing, Oct 17 (IANS) More than 2,200 contestants from 83 countries will participate in a world martial arts competition to be held in China over the next three days.

The 4th World Traditional Wushu Championships is being held in the hinterland city of Shiyan near the Wudang Mountain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home of a main sect of Chinese martial arts, Xinhua reported.

In a flurry of spectacular fireworks, the opening ceremony of the championships began Saturday in a newly-renovated stadium in the presence of more than 5,000 audience.

Hollywood star and martial artist Jackie Chan said that he is proud to see people from all over the world coming to learn martial arts in China and that he hopes the sport will become a formal medal event at the Olympic Games.

'Chinese culture will be better understood this way,' he added.

During the three-day championships, contestants from 196 delegations will participate in 300 events including Shaolin boxing, Wudang boxing, Tai chi chuan.

'Contestants outnumber those in previous championships, making this year' s event the biggest ever in the field of Chinese martial arts.' Wang Xiaolin, general secretary of the International Wushu Federation, said in a press conference before the opening ceremony.

'Wushu originated in China but belongs to the world. It is not only a sport but also a part of Chinese culture. The championships will have a far-reaching effect on the promotion of Chinese martial arts around world as China is set to enhance its cultural and soft power,' Wang said.

'We have been trying to push Wushu to become an event at the future Summer Olympic Games. There is, of course, a long way to go and currently we are mulling simplifying the sport and make it accepted by Pan-American Games and All-Africa Games first,' Wang said.

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After Tests, the tryouts

Published>Sun, Oct 17 10 07:12 AM

Huddled in a temporary shanty just outside the Nehru Stadium, close to 2500 police personnel awaited their respective assignments, as the loudspeaker blared out the specific areas of the ground that each of them will be manning come Sunday.

On the field, meanwhile, following a small puja performed by the curator near the square ? as they prayed for the rains to stay away? the groundstaff resumed their frantic activity of getting the playing area ready for the first ODI.

Elsewhere, forced to stay indoors because of the intermittent rains ever since they landed in Kochi, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Michael Clarke lamented about the boredom inflicted upon their respective teams.

However, every ODI here onwards? both teams have 13 games before the World Cup ? will be considered by all the teams as a warm-up for the grand event. And though most of the senior players rested by both India and Australia for the upcoming ODI series will be shoo-ins for the final squads, the three games will give the selectors a good look at their bench-strength as they look to finalise their personnel and the specific roles they'll play in the team come February 19.

With spearhead Zaheer Khan having been riddled with injuries in the past season, Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra have formed an unlikely yet productive pairing with the new-ball in ODI cricket over the last few months. But Dhoni, while stating that there were a few slots still up for grabs, insisted that his team's fast bowling attack seemed to be in good hands at the moment.

"If you see the fast bowlers in the side, Praveen Kumar has been performing quite consistently. You have Ashish, while Munaf has done well in Sri Lanka. Vinay Kumar has got a chance now which means we have got quite a set side. But depending on injuries, there might still be a fast bowling slot available," said the Indian skipper. Considering the packed schedule that most teams will be subjected to prior to the World Cup, injuries could well end up playing havoc with the teams' plans. And Dhoni insisted that playing it safe with some of the senior players in the side was paramount, while it was also a blessing in disguise as it provided the management to take a good look at the potential replacements.

"Most of the players have got some sort of a niggle or an injury. You have to be safe as you don't want these niggles to turn into serious injuries. Also resting a few players who have played a lot, will keep them fresh for the tournament," he added.

With the World Cup scheduled to be held at that time of the season, when the Indian pitches would have already endured a decent amount of domestic cricket, spin will obviously be a crucial factor for all the teams concerned. And Australia's stand-in skipper Clarke, while ascertaining that Ricky Ponting was still the right man to lead Australia despite all the speculation back home, is confident that the embattled Nathan Hauritz was still his team's No.1 spinner in all three formats.

"We have two good one-day spinners in Hauritz and Steven Smith. He would have liked to perform better in Tests no doubt, but Hauritz has been a good one-day bowler for a long time," said Clarke.

While Ravindra Jadeja, despite his limitations as a spin bowler, has established himself as the premier spin-option in the absence of Harbhajan Singh, he still needs to contribute more with the bat, said Dhoni.

With their permutations and combinations sorted all around, the organisers at Kochi can now only hope that the rains do not hinder anymore with the staging of the seventh ODI at this venue. The two teams, on the other hand, still have some way to go? and critical series to compete in ? before all their plans are finalized and will also not want to lose one of the last few opportunities to weigh their options.

n Live on Neo Cricket, 9 am

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Melded into history

Published>Sun, Oct 17 10 03:17 AM

"The Games belong to the athletes and athletes will perform." When 'gold-finger' Abhinav Bindra said this at the start of the 19th Commonwealth Games, we weren't in a position to predict a second place for India in the games and that the host nation would clinch its biggest-ever gold medal tally with its best performance ever. But Indian athletes did it, and how! Controversies chased the games on a daily basis, but the Indian contingent rose beyond all that to make their nation proud.

Be it the first Commonwealth gold for India in athletics after a yawning gap of 52 years, or the great medal haul in wrestling and shooting, or the inspirational display by the crisis-ridden hockey team that won its first-ever medal, a silver, at the CWG?it has been smiles all the way in the arenas. Picking up 101 medals in all at one single international sporting event was something of a dream till the start of CWG 2010 for this cricket-worshiping nation. And talking about cricket, though the Test series with Australia turned out to be an epic victory for the Indian cricket team, our athletes in the CWG received as much attention, interest and support from the spectators, if not more, as the men in blue of Indian cricket. If thinking beyond cricket was ever a problem in this country, it just wasn't so over these 11 days.

While these games would be remembered for rather avoidable reasons and controversies, spanning from corruption and delays in preparation to mismanagement of volunteers and from empty stands in the stadia to the mad scramble for tickets, they would also be remembered for the Indian contingent's stellar performance. Never before did the Indian contingent reach such a summit of success.

Call it the home advantage or the effect of an emphatic crowd backing, Indian athletes have raised the bar for themselves and ignited the hopes of an entire nation, that this performance will provide the ever-needed elixir for sports and sportspersons in India. India has dared to dream, yet again!

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Red-hot Pato downs Chievo to send Milan top

Sun, Oct 17 10 12:18 AM

Alexandre Pato continued his rich vein of form with two goals in AC Milan's 3-1 win over Chievo which powered the hosts to the top of Serie A on Saturday.

The 21-year-old forward, who scored in both of Brazil's friendly victories during the international break, owed much to partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic for setting up the first-half strikes.

Ibrahimovic was unfortunate to divert a corner into his own net midway through the second half and the visitors were close to snatching a draw before substitute Robinho netted his first Milan goal by rounding the goalkeeper in stoppage time.

Milan lead the standings on 14 points from their seven games but could be overhauled on Sunday when second-placed Lazio, a point behind, visit Bari.

Source: Published>

Misbah''s form important for series against South Africa

Sat, Oct 16 10 11:06 PM

Karachi, Oct 16 (PTI) Pakistan coach Waqar Younis believes that performance of new Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq will be important in the forthcoming series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates. Waqar will supervise a short conditioning camp in Lahore from tomorrow to prepare for the full series which kicks off with a Twenty20 International on October 26. Pakistan is playing its ''home'' series against the Proteas in Dubai and Abu Dhabi because of the refusal of teams to tour the country because of security concerns. The PCB has named Shahid Afridi as the captain for the ODI and Twenty20 series. Waqar, a former Test skipper, said that Misbah had experience of captaining at the domestic level. "That will help him but more then that I think his individual performance will matter a lot for him and the team," Waqar said. The Pakistan coach made it clear at a hearing of the National Assembly standing committee on sports this week that he was not consulted by PCB in the appointment of Misbah as captain for the Tests against South Africa nor about recalling the senior batsman to the limited overs and Test squads. Misbah was a shock choice to lead the Test team last week when the national selectors announced the squads for the series. Waqar said that Salman Butt had done a good job as Test captain on the recent tour to England. "He (Salman) will be missed in the coming series," Waqar said. Butt is serving a provisional suspension by the International Cricket Council after being accused of spot fixing in a Test in England. Waqar said that Pakistan would have the edge over South Africa because the conditions in the UAE were similar to those at home. "That is an edge for us but South Africa remain a very dangerous and experienced side and it will be a big challenge for our players," he stated. He said he had opted for a short conditioning camp as the players had been playing a lot of cricket and he did not want them fatigued before the important series. Waqar said Pakistan would depend a lot on their spinners in the coming Test series because of the conditions and said it was good to have three quality spinners in the line up. The selectors have picked leg spinner Danish Kaneria, Abdul Rehman and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal for the two Tests. Meanwhile, Saeed Ajmal has said he would be targeting South Africa''s top batsman Jacques Kallis in the series. "Jacques Kallis is the main threat to us and I am going to target him. I am sure Insha Allah (God willing) that I will be the highest wicket taker of the series," Ajmal told a cricket website.

Source: Published>

Federer to face Murray in Shanghai final

Published>Sat, Oct 16 10 10:56 PM

World number three Roger Federer beat Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-4 on Saturday to set up a mouthwatering Shanghai Masters final against a resurgent Andy Murray.

Serbian second seed Djokovic had hoped to secure his second title of the week after winning the China Open on Monday but squandered four break points in the first set against the Swiss.

Federer, 29, has faced Murray twice this year, beating him in the final of the Australian Open but losing out to the Briton for the Toronto Masters title in August.

"The conditions are pretty much the same as in Toronto which is going to make for a very tough and physical match," Federer said of the Shanghai final.

"Andy has much more of a feel when he plays with his slice. He finds a way into the point which is very different from Novak. That creates a different type of attacking plan and the way I need to play," added the third seed.

Murray said he was looking forward to playing Federer again.

"It's a great experience every time," the Scot told reporters after his 6-4 6-1 win over Argentine Juan Monaco.

"When I played him in the Toronto final, I was a lot more aggressive and didn't give him many chances to dictate the points, especially on my serve.

"That's something that I need to do against him if I want to beat him," added Murray, who has recovered from a recent illness and has yet drop a set in the tournament.

Several times he drew Monaco to the net before launching booming backhands or lobs towards the exposed baseline, even breaking his racket strings on one return to foil the stunned Argentine.

Crowd favourite Murray took one hour 25 minutes to see off his former training partner, sealing the match with an ace.

Djokovic will swap places in the world rankings with Federer after his loss, moving down from second to third.

"Roger deserved to win," the Serbian said. "It was a very intense first set and I didn't use the chances that I had. When he got his first or second breakpoint he used it and finished off the set 7-5.

"I lost my focus a little bit and my energy dropped at the start of the second set. In the blink of an eye, I was two breaks down at 4-1 so it was very hard to get back from that situation." (Editing by Alison Wildey and Clare Fallon; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Guerrero ends Mainz's 100 percent record

Sat, Oct 16 10 10:37 PM

Paolo Guerrero scored in the 89th minute to give Hamburg SV a 1-0 win at Mainz 05 and end their opponents' 100 percent record in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Mainz, who had won their first seven games, stayed behind Borussia Dortmund on goal difference. Both teams have 21 points after Borussia won 2-1 at Cologne to go top on Friday.

Much-criticised Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez scored a hat-trick to give the struggling champions a 3-0 win over Hanover 96 and take them to 11 points.

Bayern, where strikers Ivica Olic and Miroslav Klose and captain Mark van Bommel this week joined Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery on the injury list, had scored only five goals in their first seven outings.

Gomez, who scored 10 goals last season and had not previously hit the target this term, had largely been confined to a substitute's role after becoming the Bundesliga's most expensive signing.

However, he suddenly found his touch and headed in Hamit Altintop's free kick in the 21st minute before adding two more in the last quarter of an hour when he thumped home Toni Kroos's lobbed pass and headed in a Thomas Mueller cross.

In the meeting of the teams who started the day in the bottom two places, Schalke 04, last season's runners-up, were held 2-2 by VfB Stuttgart, who fired coach Christian Gross last week and replaced him with Jens Keller.

Stuttgart twice led through Timo Gebhart and Austrian Martin Harnik while Brazilian Edu grabbed Schalke's first and Dutchman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar rescued a point by converting an 80th-minute penalty.

Stuttgart stayed bottom while Schalke moved up one place to 16th.

Werder Bremen beat Freiburg 2-1 and promoted St Pauli won a five-goal thriller against Nuremburg to claim their first home win.

Mainz, aiming to set a Bundesliga record by winning their first eight games of the season, had several let-offs against Hamburg in a game where both sides created plenty of chances.

Hamburg's 36-year-old Brazilian midfielder Ze Roberto missed an open goal just before halftime, hitting the post after being set up by Ruud van Nistelrooy who had a goal disallowed for a foul on the hour.

Marco Caligiuri hit the post for Mainz while Andre Schuerrle sent a free header straight at Hamburg goalkeeper Frank Rost and then fired over after bursting through the Hamburg defence.

The visitors were on the ropes for the last few minutes until Ze Roberto burst to the byline and pulled the ball back for Peru forward Guerrero, who side-footed into the roof of the net.

Source: Published>

Federer to face Murray in Shanghai final

Published>Sat, Oct 16 10 09:36 PM

World number three Roger Federer beat Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-4 on Saturday to set up a mouthwatering Shanghai Masters final against a resurgent Andy Murray.

Serbian second seed Djokovic had hoped to secure his second title of the week after winning the China Open on Monday but squandered four break points in the first set against the Swiss.

Federer, 29, has faced Murray twice this year, beating him in the final of the Australian Open but losing out to the Briton for the Toronto Masters title in August.

"I do really enjoy playing Roger and wouldn't mind playing him. It's a great experience every time," Murray told reporters after his 6-4 6-1 win over Argentine Juan Monaco.

"When I played him in the Toronto final, I was a lot more aggressive and didn't give him many chances to dictate the points, especially on my serve.

That's something that I need to do against him if I want to beat him," he added.

Murray, recovered from a recent illness, has yet drop a set in the tournament.

Several times, he drew Monaco to the net before launching booming backhands or lobs towards the exposed baseline, even breaking his racket strings after one return to foil the stunned Argentine.

Crowd-favourite Murray took one hour 25 minutes to see off his former training partner, sealing the match with an ace.

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India u-23 loses to Vietnam 1-3

Sat, Oct 16 10 09:06 PM

Cuttack, Oct 16 (PTI) India Under-23 side struck an early goal but later found Vietnam attack to hot to handle as they went down 1-3 in their first international friendly match in the run-up to next month''s Asian Games, here today. Balwant Singh was bang on target in the ninth minute but Vietnam Under-23 side restored parity in the 37th minute through Nguyen Ngoe Bien before scoring two more goals in the second session at the Barabati Stadium. Bien scored another goal in the 56th minute while team-mate Anh Duc took the game away from the Indians'' reach with a goal in the 78th minute. Coach Sukhvinder Singh fielded most of the players who were part of the SAFF Cup-winning squad but failed to start their Asian Games preparation on a winning note.

Source: Published>

Modi questions Chennai Police jurisdiction on complaint

Sat, Oct 16 10 08:52 PM

New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi today questioned the jurisdiction of Chennai Police to entertain the criminal complaint filed by the Cricket Board accusing him of financial irregularities in the running of the Twenty20 League. In a statement issued by his lawyer Mehmood Abdi, Modi said he has not seen a copy of such a complaint and was not in a position to comment on it but went on to question the jurisdiction of Chennai police to register an FIR. "As far as filing of a complaint at Chennai by Mr Srinivasan is concerned, we have not seen a copy of such complaint therefore we are not in a position to comment upon the same except the following: Does the Chennai Police have the territorial jurisdiction to entertain such a complaint and register an FIR and investigate the matter?" Modi has questioned through his lawyer. "If the BCCI General Body on 3rd July 2010, has resolved and authorised President Shashank Manohar to take legal action both civil and criminal only on basis of facts ascertained. Why has Srinivasan rushed and filed a complaint at Chennai especially when in view of following no facts are ascertained as of today: "Disciplinary Committee Order dated 14th October 2010 categorically records that ''No member of the Disciplinary Committee has been consulted or has expressed any opinion on issues which may arise in relation to the present proceedings'' i.e. the proceedings against Mr Lalit Modi," the statement added. It said "the disputes between WSG, Sony and BCCI are still sub judice various forums including proceedings before the Hon''ble Bombay High Court." Abdi also said that "no case has been registered against Modi under Prevention of Money Laundering Act." "We reiterate that we have complete faith in the process of law and we are ready and willing to render all co-operation to any investigating agency whatsoever," he said.

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India still need one fast bowler and one all-rounder: Dhoni

Sat, Oct 16 10 08:50 PM

Kochi, Oct 16 (PTI) Two slots in India''s one-day squad, including a fast bowler and an all-rounder, are still up for grabs ahead of next year''s cricket World Cup, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said here today. World Cup will be co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February 19 to April 2. "Of course, few slots are open. May be a fast bowling slot is there. One or two places, in the team depending on injuries is also available. One batsman slot since we really do not have a world class all-rounder. "It is also up for grabs, which means either it will be an all-rounder or a big hitting batsman who can fit down the order," Dhoni told reporters here ahead of tomorrow''s ODI against Australia. He said the core group of players is settled and the remaining will be picked in the course of the four months left in the flagship event of the ICC. "Top eight or nine players are almost sure as injuries do not bother them. But after them there are quite a few places vacant. Depending on performances of the individuals and as to what criteria the team wants in the side for the day. "It will be open for quite some time now till we decide the team that will participate in the World Cup," said Dhoni. Dhoni reasoned that the resting of some key players was unavoidable so that "niggles do not turn into injuries". "Most of the players got some kind of a niggle or small injury. You have to be safe because they played quite a fair amount of cricket over the last year. It was a jam-packed schedule. Till the World Cup we will be playing the same amount of cricket, which means it is better to rest players before the niggles turn into injuries," he said. "It also gives you an opportunity to test your bench strength. You can say that it is a blessing in disguise and appropriate programme to get the youngsters tested. In the South African series we will try to play with the best XI who are going to be part of the World Cup squad," he said. Dhoni said pacer S Sreesanth will have to be consistent if he wants to be in the World Cup squad. "He is an excellent talent. He is a very good Test match bowler. At the same time, he has to make his place in the side and has to be at his best when an opportunity is given. He has to perform well to get into the ODI squad," Dhoni said. Asked about pacer Vinay Kumar''s chances of making it to the World Cup squad, Dhoni said, "For matches in India, he has very good chances. But you have to see the spot that is available. Because if Praveen Kumar is part of the eleven, generally he will bowl the new ball. He (Praveen) is generally given company by either Zaheer Khan or Ashish Nehra depending on conditions. "This means that Vinay has to fulfill the job of one change seamer. It may be slightly difficult but he has shown that he has talent to mix pace and length of the delivery and come up with a sharp bouncer." PTI RE PDS AT

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Sick of seeing Sachin score so heavily: Clarke

Sat, Oct 16 10 08:16 PM

Kochi, Oct 16 (PTI) The stand-in Australian captain Michael Clarke is relieved that batting stalwart Sachin Tendulkar and the dashing Virender Sehwag will not be a part of the much vaunted Indian batting line-up in the One-day series, starting tomorrow. The Indian Cricket Board has rested Tendulkar while dangerous Virender Sehwag and prolific scorer Gautam Gambhir are not playing due to injury. Tendulkar scored more than 400 runs in the Test series and was adjudged Man-of-the-series and Clarke is happy that his bowlers will not have contend with his class. "I am happy that all those guys (Tendulkar, Sehwag) are not playing. I am sick of seeing Sachin scoring so many runs. But I still think Indian team is very strong. They have a lot of young players who have played T20s and ODIs before and they have a lot of talent," Clarke said on the eve of the series-opener. Australians are also without some big stars and Clarke said, it will be an even contest. "I think the opposition we are playing is very tough, especially in the Indian conditions but I am confident that if we play to our best, we will win the series. As I said earlier this series is going to be fought evenly," he said. The Aussie captain was not sure if pacer Dough Bollinger will be able to make it to the final XI. "Doug is recovering but I am not sure if he is going to be fit to play tomorrow, we will have to wait and see. He hasn''t had a bowl since straining his abdomen, I think we will have to wait and see how he pulls up after a bowl today." Persistent rains have not only denied the two sides some valuable practice but are also threatening to play a spoilsport. Clarke said his team mates are itching to go out. "I think all the boys are sick to be going to the gym. We haven''t done much really to be honest. We are really keen to get outside and play the first ODI. "I think we will step out and do some running around, catch a few balls, get out of the hotel rooms. It''s been good for the body to have no cricket in the last two three days but we are very keen to play tomorrow," he said. On being asked if Australia will field two spinners considering the help Indian pitches offer them, Clarke was not sure. "In all three forms of the game, Nathan Hauritz form has been very good in the last 12 months. He would have liked to perform better in the Test matches no doubt but Hauritz has been a good one-day bowler for a long time. Young Steven Smith is a good all rounder. "I haven''t been to the ground, so I have to look at the conditions and may be who knows both of them might be playing. We will wait and see tomorrow," he said.

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Clarke backs Ponting as right man to lead in Ashes

Sat, Oct 16 10 07:56 PM

Kochi, Oct 16 (PTI) Australia''s stand-in captain Michael Clarke today stood firmly behind an under-fire Ricky Ponting, terming him the "right man to lead the country in the upcoming Ashes." "Ricky is certainly the right man to lead Australia. Think Ricky has been a wonderful player for a long period of time in all forms of the game. He is a wonderful captain and he has batted really well throughout the recent Test series. He was disappointed not to make a century but hopefully he is saving those centuries for the Ashes," Clarke told the reporters during the pre-match media conference. On the lessons learnt by him out of the Test series, Clarke said, "Definitely the Test series has been helpful. I think it was disappointing to not to get the results we wanted but we had the opportunity to play against the world No 1 team in tough conditions. I think for a player, it is a tough challenge to play in India." "Conditions are so different in India from the ones you are accustomed to in Australia. I think we have seen again one of the greatest players of all time, bat like a genius Sachin Tendulkar. I think Nathan Hauritz would have learnt a lot about the difference between bowling in India and Australia. The wickets have less bounce, less carry." Clarke explained that, I think for me again I have learnt that it is hard to negotiate good spin bowling in India. They had two good spinners in the Test series. You have to be very positive and be confident in your own ability to play the way you want to. "I think Shane Watson would have learnt a lot about his game. He played really well and made a lot of runs and he will take the confidence into the Australian summer." "Everybody would have learnt something from this tour. We will be back here again playing in the World Cup in five months time and back for Test cricket soon hopefully." PTI RE KHS

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`Blackjack'' lifts Goffs Juvenile Million

Sat, Oct 16 10 07:52 PM

Pune, Oct 16 (PTI) Fancied `Blackjack'', trained by Bezan Chinoy and ridden by jockey P Kamlesh, bagged The Goffs Juvenile Million, the chief event on 16th race day of the Pune meeting held today. Jockey Dashrath Singh scored four winners while trainer Bezan Chinoy saddled a good double on a day.

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Kiwi swimmer Bell's future on the line over Delhi CWG booze-ban violation

Published>Sat, Oct 16 10 02:52 PM

Canberra, Oct 16 (ANI): New Zealand swimmer Daniel Bell would reportedly be called to a meeting next week to discuss his future in the sport after he was sent home in disgrace from the Commonwealth Games for breaking his team's zero alcohol policy.

According to Stuff.co.nz, Swimming New Zealand stood by its decision on Friday for sending back Bell from New Delhi following his misconduct, which was reported by two of his team-mates to head swim coach Mark Regan on Monday.

New Zealand team chef de mission Dave Currie left New Delhi before the story broke and is due to arrive in New Zealand on Saturday afternoon.

Although Swimming New Zealand chief executive Mike Byrne confirmed the New Zealand Olympic Committee was consulted "and they endorsed our decision," a spokesman said that NZOC said that, "it had nothing to do with us".

"But we had jurisdiction to send him home and that's what we decided to do. As chief executive I was consulted and also endorsed the recommendation made by the senior management team," Byrne said.

"It would not have mattered whether he had one beer or 100 beers. He knew about the rule but still went ahead and broke it," he added.

The penalty at first glance would seem extremely harsh, even accounting for Bell's track record, where he has been involved in two previous alcohol-related incidents, the report said.

Earlier, team-mates Dean Kent, Corney Swanepoel and Cameron Gibson were expelled from the New Zealand team and the Olympic village after taking a photo of a drunk Bell sitting on the toilet at a social function at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Bell was believed to be unwinding with some friends in the team village when he was caught. (ANI)

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Beer firm dumps Rooney in wake of his hooker shame

Published>Sat, Oct 16 10 02:36 PM

London, Oct 16 (ANI): Love rat Wayne Rooney has reportedly been dumped by a beer firm in the wake of his philandering.

It has emerged that a TV ad in which Rooney plugs south-east Asian beer brand Tiger, who pay him a whopping 300,000 pounds a year, has quietly been ditched, reports the Sun.

The "The Game Never Ends" commercial shows Rooney using his footie skills to win the last bottle of Tiger left in a bar. But the Singapore-based brewery has now stopped showing it.

The move comes after soft drinks giant Coca-Cola, who has a 600,000 pounds-a-year-deal with Rooney, shelved plans to put his face on cans and bottles. (ANI)

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Younus Khan seeks meeting with PCB chief Butt to resolve disputes

Published>Sat, Oct 16 10 02:26 PM

Lahore, Oct 16(ANI): Former Pakistan captain Younus Khan wants to meet Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt to resolve their outstanding disputes, his lawyer Ahmed Qayyum has said.

Qayyum confirmed that Younus has sent a letter to the board asking them to give time for a meeting.

"Younus is keen to resolve this issue. So, he has sent in writing he is available for a meeting.

Now it is up to the board when they call him for the meeting. From day one of this problem my client has been keen to resolve this problem," the Daily Times quoted Qayyum, as saying.

Younus along with Mohammad Yousuf was banned indefinitely from the team in March following an inquiry committee report, which had probed Pakistan's dismal performances and disciplinary problems during the tours of the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Australia.

Five other players - Shoaib Malik, Rana Navedul Hasan, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal - were also banned or fined.

However, the appellate tribunal later lifted bans on Younus, Naved and Malik and halved the fines.

The other players had apologized to the board and accepted their mistakes, clearing the way for their return.

However, Younus has refused to do so, insisting through his lawyer that he had done nothing to apologize for and had instead maintained that he wanted to clear his name fully of the charges laid against him.

Earlier, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports had instructed the PCB to give a patient hearing to the cricketer within a span of seven days. (ANI)

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Beer firm dumps Rooney in wake of his hooker shame

Published>Sat, Oct 16 10 02:22 PM

London, Oct 16 (ANI): Love rat Wayne Rooney has reportedly been dumped by a beer firm in the wake of his philandering.

It has emerged that a TV ad in which Rooney plugs south-east Asian beer brand Tiger, who pay him a whopping 300,000 pounds a year, has quietly been ditched, reports the Sun.

The "The Game Never Ends" commercial shows Rooney using his footie skills to win the last bottle of Tiger left in a bar. But the Singapore-based brewery has now stopped showing it.

The move comes after soft drinks giant Coca-Cola, who has a 600,000 pounds-a-year-deal with Rooney, shelved plans to put his face on cans and bottles. (ANI)

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Younus Khan seeks meeting with PCB chief Butt to resolve disputes

Published>Sat, Oct 16 10 02:06 PM